Many Paths to Tread
by Arella1
Summary: "You map the world in equations," she said in surprise. "You're able to nearly reach beyond three dimensions, aren't you? That's fantastic!" Hesitantly, he raised his eyes to her warm brown orbs. Excitement and something else were displayed there, taking him aback. "What are you?" he asked. "You don't make sense, the way you move." -pipersmith inspired Doctor!Rose/John Smith fic
1. In Which We Meet John Smith

**AN: **As stated in my other DW fics, my DW stories are unbeta'd. This was inspired by the now-infamous pipersmith on tumblr. Love it and had to jump on board. This fic is finished-so if you like it, I'll post the rest of the chapters. I really just want to see if there is any interest in this sort of AU and try my hand at a bit of something different. Remember, though Rose is the Time Lady Doctor here, she won't have the exact same personality as the canon Doctor. That makes her reactions different. Also, John is uber smart. His reactions are going to be different than other companions. And, last but not least, this is a whole 'nother universe. Please be kind.

* * *

Our story begins with one John Smith; a common name for a rather _un_common man. At age four and three quarters (to be precise, which John was always wont to do) John first began to suspect he was different from those around him. His father, first pleased with his youngest son's aptitude, became increasingly concerned with the boy's extreme intelligence and lack of social skills. John saw equations and formulas everywhere and had a capacity to confine the world around him to a string of gibberish his father couldn't hope to comprehend.

It had scared Arthur Smith to look into his son's too old eyes and realize he couldn't follow him. John was too smart and didn't have the common sense to keep mum about it in school. He was naturally eager and kind hearted, always ready to help or correct. He just didn't understand that while his brain was massive, his body was not. Children are cruel to that which is different. John was poor and brilliant and far too weird for his peers. Rory, John's older brother, had gotten into more scraps protecting him than their father would ever know. It grated on him-why couldn't John simply _keep his mouth shut_? But, Rory wasn't always there and those days when John would shy away from touch with bruised eyes and defeated shoulders meant Rory's irritation would dissipate into a helpless rage.

John was finishing university by the time he was fifteen. However, a decade of taunts and bullying had pushed him further into his own mind. He didn't understand people, so when he received his second doctorate at twenty, he'd given them up for the safety of his numbers. His father insisted he not move when John took a job at a local university, so he was reminded to eat. His brother and Rory's new wife, Amy, called once a week to draw him from his calculations for a brief hour. Thus, John felt his life would continue in this vein until he died alone-probably with a dry erase marker in his hand.

He was quite irked one Monday when he reached his classroom and found a young woman auditing the class without applying for permission. He was required by the university to teach two post graduate classes per semester, and though he didn't care if his students actually attended class, he _did_ know every name on his roster. He didn't like someone coming into _his_ classroom uninvited.

Passing the sign in sheet around (because he was required to turn that in as well after his first disastrous semester) he stopped and met the woman's eyes. Though she smiled, there was something infinite and ancient in her face. John's brows shot up as his mind whirled into action, calculating the symmetry of her features, the slight physical impossibilities of her movements, and the way she was now watching him with something like curious disbelief.

Clearing his throat as he became aware of his students' interest, John tried to dredge up his professor's mask of authority.

"I don't recall seeing a memo of an audit," he stated lowly.

Her eyebrow arched as she glanced from him to some sort of wallet in her hands. She flipped it open.

"What do you see?"

Eyes narrowed, he crossed his arms, wondering if this was some sort of joke. It, unfortunately, wouldn't be the first time.

"It's blank," he said, deadpan.

A beaming grin split the woman's face. "Oh, that's just brilliant!" But, she stored the wallet in her jeans and sat forward. "Doctor Tyler, Dr. Smith. I'm not here for your class, Professor. I'd like a word with you after, actually." All the cheer left her demeanor and her voice dropped until he was the only one to catch her next words. "It's about experiment C-Z-9."

The bottom dropped out of his stomach. Clenching his hands, he spun and made his way to the front of the board. Once there, he wrote out a long series of equations and turned back to his class.

"I want a ten page paper on the validity of these figures by next week. Dismissed."

The students rushed to scribble down the theory, girls shooting slightly venomous glares at Doctor Tyler before they left. Sure, Dr. Smith was a fruitcake, but he was cute and rocked the geeky scientist look with his bow tie. They'd never want to keep him, but he was certainly better eye candy than the rest of their professors at this level.

When the class had left and John had packed his messenger bag, he motioned for Doctor Tyler to follow him. She did so quietly and when they reached his office, she scanned the room with a strange humming device he'd never seen. Frowning, he watched as she pulled a small round button from under his paper tray. Confiscating a glass he'd left from this morning, she turned it over on the button and pressed her odd device to the glass. A moment later, she nodded in satisfaction and straightened.

"What did you do?" he asked, griping the strap of his bag nervously. "And how did you know where the bug was?"

She smiled and waved the cylinder like device at him. "Sonic screwdriver. I vamped up the density of the glass by two hundred percent. That should keep Big Brother out." Her eyes sharpened and her joviality faded. "Now, care to tell me why a nobody university suddenly has a contract with the government involvin' Temporal Manipulation?"

Swallowing, he forced his hands still. "How do you know about that?" Because he couldn't lie worth spit and these past few months have frayed his nerves to their breaking point. He was trapped in the experiment and anything right now that might save him was pounced on like a rabid dog.

"Oh, I know a lot of things, Johnny, but that's not the issue. Do you have _any_ idea how dangerous what you're doing is? You've no business meddlin' with Time. The Vortex is beyond your ken and certainly beyond any tech humans have right now. The force of it would rip you apart."

"I know that!" He burst in, unable to help himself as his hands flew up, writing out unconscious calculations as he yelled at her. "They threatened my father," he spat, the messenger bag falling from his shoulder with his agitated movements. "They can get to him and my brother anytime. It's stupid, absolutely beyond our capabilities from all of my calculations, and I've been trying to slow their progress, but they'll kill my _family_."

"John!" the blonde woman exclaimed; grasping his hands and bringing him out of the swirl of string theories that made up his world.

At her touch, he flinched back automatically, muscle memory too indicative of the kind of childhood he'd had. There was an awkward pause before the other doctor turned his hands over and squeezed them gently, then released him.

"You map the world in equations," she said in surprise. "I read your file, but it never hinted at that. You're able to nearly reach beyond three dimensions, if your unconscious gestures are any indication. That's fantastic!"

Hesitantly, he raised his eyes to her warm brown orbs. Excitement and something else were displayed there, taking him aback. No one had ever guessed what he was gesturing before, even other scientists. He'd told his father once, but no one had ever just _known_. So how had she?

"Look, Johnny, I'm not here to hurt anyone. I'm here to stop those whack jobs from screwin' up Timelines. Tell me what you know so I can shut them down and we can save your family."

"What are you?" he managed. "You don't make sense-the way you move."

She grinned so widely a hint of tongue touched her teeth. "I can feel the turn of the Earth, John Smith." Offering her hand, she wiggled her fingers in invitation. "Care to try?"

A fuzzy sort of feeling rushed through him at the gesture. When had someone offered a hand to him peacefully outside of his family? There was no mocking in her gaze, only an incomprehensible intelligence and understanding. Slowly, he slid his hand across hers, allowing her to lace their fingers. Between one heart beat and the next, he almost stumbled as the world shifted. Green eyes flew open in shock as he rapidly calculated all the sensations suddenly bombarding him.

"One hundred and seven thousand kilometers an hour," he breathed, stunned as he stared at her.

"Yep," she giggled, popping the 'p' and letting him go.

Abruptly, John's world stopped, the calculations stuttering before whirling furiously to decode and decipher what'd just happened. Coming to the only logical conclusion, he turned wide eyes to her.

"You're not human," he whispered. "Your heartbeat's too rapid, your movements too impossible and you shouldn't be able to do…," he waved his hand to indicate what she'd just shared with him.

Picking up his messenger bag, she held it out to him. "That a problem?"

Terrified awe bubbled in him as he hastily shook his head and accepted his bag. "Who are you?"

Winking, she linked her arm carefully with his. "I'm the Doctor," she answered.

"Doctor Tyler?" he asked dubiously, forcing his muscles to relax under her hand.

That got a laugh from her. "No, just 'the Doctor'. Keep up, John Smith! We've work to do."

Helplessly, he allowed her to lead him out, nearly blushing at the startled looks they were receiving. He was never seen with anyone socially and now here he was-arm in arm with a beautiful woman who'd interrupted his class. The Doctor smirked and leaned into him a bit.

"These people need to get a life," she told him loud enough for the eavesdroppers to hear and hastily move to mind their own business.

Unable to help the laugh that drew, he chuckled and made a faint motion of basic equation in the air. "They're just shocked to see me speaking with someone voluntarily."

They were away from the student area now and heading toward the labs. John tensed when a rather large man stepped into the hall and did a double take at the Doctor.

"Well, well, freak-did you finally grow a pair? Your boyfriend must be awfully disappointed."

The Doctor scowled and looked up at John, whose hands were trembling with the effort not to gesture.

"Johnny?" she asked lowly.

Snapping back to himself, John unclenched his jaw. "Doctor Tyler, this is Dr. Westin, head of the Temporal spearhead campaign. Dr. Westin, Doctor Tyler…"

"Representing CERN," she finished, flashing the blank wallet at the other man.

John was surprised when his tormentor glanced at the paper and a calculating gleam appeared in the other man's eyes.

"She's on the review board," John added before he could think too much on the reaction, "and is personally checking with each project today and tomorrow."

Dr. Westin's face twisted into something John supposed was his idea of charming. The Doctor's expression indicated her opinion on the matter, making a tension in John's chest loosen. She wasn't taken in by the odious scientist.

"I'd be more than happy to show you around, Doctor Tyler. Run on back to your hidey hole, headcase," he sneered at John.

"As we are contemplating Dr. Smith as a candidate for the Nobel next year," the Doctor broke in, her speech pattern shifting to something exceedingly articulate, "I find that he will be the most adequate escort. Do excuse us."

Sweeping by the flummoxed man, the Doctor tugged John along down the hall. At the end, John scanned his security badge to let them into the lab. Once inside, the Doctor rushed to one of the supercomputers as John began explaining the experiment and what the government was doing.

"Why did Westin believe you?" he finally had to ask. "That paper is blank."

She flashed him a smirk. "Psychic paper. Lets people see whatever they want to-or whatever _I_ want 'em to." Her careless accent was once more pronounced. "You're a genuine genius, Johnny. It didn't work on you."

His eyebrows shot up in shock and amusement. He couldn't help feeling a petty vindication over the other scientist who'd made his professional life Hell.

The Doctor was typing in a flurry of motion; apparently reading faster than a human could ever hope to do. The seconds ticked by rapidly, and the pressure began making John anxious as the reality of what they were doing dawned on him. He was trusting a stranger-an honest to God _alien_-to stop the experiment and save his family. If he was wrong…

"What are you doing?" he whispered, glancing to the door nervously.

"Lookin' for my old friend, ha! The Oncoming Storm virus. It's popped up dormant in every temporal tippin' point on Earth in the last twenty six years. I just have to activate it and voila! Temporal data munched into vapor. Anybody uploading backup files will find the virus eatin' those as well."

Satisfied, she slipped over to the bits of machinery cobbled together in what the higher ups hoped would eventually be a Vortex Manipulator. John blinked rapidly when she drew an odd pistol and pointed it at the parts. One trigger pull later, she stuffed the gun back into her pocket, the worktable parts having disappeared.

"Squareness gun," she chirped.

The sound of someone swiping a badge in the door threw John into motion. Snatching up the Doctor's hand, he yanked her around and behind a large supply cabinet. Green eyes widened comically when he found himself pressed flush against her body. Impossibly, she began to shift further into him trying to reach something in her leather jacket. John could feel his face begin to burn.

"What the Hell?!" they heard a man yell.

An alarm sounded ominously as the Doctor maneuvered her sonic out and aimed it at the door to lock it. Frantic yelling and pounding erupted in the hallway when the other scientists and security realized they couldn't get in.

Mental calculations clamoring for an answer, John daringly reached into the Doctor's pocket and retrieved the squareness gun. The Doctor's eyebrows shot up when he aimed and fired at the wall behind her. Immediately, they scrambled out, with the blonde taking back the weapon outside. One adjustment later and she'd fired again, this time putting the wall back to rights.

"Nice to meet ya, John Smith," she grinned. "Run for your life!"

* * *

Apparently, the Doctor had not only destroyed the experiment, she had scrambled the personnel file on John so thoroughly that it would take years for the higher ups to fix. A few innocuous orders later to the right people and his family was safe.

A profound rush of relief swept through him so forcefully, he nearly collapsed. Turning back to the blonde woman once they made it several blocks, he was thus startled to find her gone. An odd wind blew down the alleyway carrying an unfamiliar wheezing sound before everything fell silent once more.

"Doctor?" he called cautiously.

But, she didn't answer and try as he might, he couldn't find her. She'd simply disappeared as if she'd never been there at all.


	2. In Which the Doctor Returns

**AN: **I'm so excited you all like the story so far! I couldn't wait to post the next chapter. Let me know if I need to change anything. A couple of more chapters left to go.

* * *

Five long, normal months passed for the professor. At his lowest, he found himself wondering if he'd finally begun hallucinating. However, experiment C-Z-9 _had_ been destroyed and all supporting data vanished. There'd been a formal investigation that he'd endured in a near state of hysteria until he'd realized they were speaking to all the scientists on the project. Funnily enough, he'd been spotted on several security cameras walking _out_ with a mysterious blonde woman. John had actually taken more heat from his colleagues over who she was than the lost project.

There'd been rumors about more funding to start from scratch, but those halted rather suddenly and weren't mentioned again. John's security badge didn't register as accessing the lab that day and Westin was treated to concerned condescension by management when he tried to tell everyone who'd listen that John had led some woman into the lab. Management had sighed, pointed out the obvious contradictory evidence of John _leaving_ with the woman, and promptly transferred Westin with a shiny new demotion.

All and all, John's life took an immediate upswing after that bizarre adventure.

And, if he found himself staring too long at the stars with thoughts lingering on tongue-touched smiles, well, that was no one's business but his own, right? He'd finally met someone who could understand his frequency and in a moment's blink, she'd left. He didn't like admitting that he'd calculated the odds of meeting her again; the answer wasn't promising.

"_Why_ am I here?" John huffed to his brother as Rory rolled his eyes.

"Because it's Amy's birthday next week and you're abysmal at picking out gifts-that is, when you deign to even _remember_ a gift is appropriate. I ordered a bracelet for her last month so we can pick that up and then try to find something you can give her without the looming threat of a slap."

Absently, John rubbed his cheek as he remembered last year's fiasco. His gift had evidently been less than acceptable and she'd slapped him for his trouble. Of course, the assault had resulted in his total withdrawal from everyone for several days and Amy feeling wretched over the whole thing. John was rarely _intentionally_ insulting; he was just naturally gifted and her reaction had been just that-a reaction. He'd meant well and she'd lashed out at him in a way that had him nervously avoiding her for the better part of three months.

"Just pick something. I have term papers to grade and I'm sure Pond wants you home soon."

Sighing, Rory motioned to a display of lockets. "I wish you'd stop calling her that. We've been married long enough that you can't claim you forget any more."

Making a noncommittal noise, John turned his attention to the necklaces while Rory gave up and described the bracelet. Fourteen seconds later, John selected one and glanced to Rory for approval. His brother had arched a brow and waved over the attendant.

"That's actually a good choice, mate."

The professor shrugged uncomfortably. "She doesn't like her birthstone and diamonds match anything."

The other sandy brow arched. "How do you know she doesn't like her birthstone?"

"She told us the first time you brought her home to meet us," John replied, confused.

Cursing, Rory strode off to see if he could exchange the earrings he'd gotten for a different stone. John watched him bemusedly for a moment before turning back to the patient attendant. After paying for the necklace, he wrote down what he wanted engraved on it and made arrangements to have the gift delivered.

Feeling that the day at least hadn't been a _complete_ waste, he tried to find Rory so that they could leave. Seeing him in heavy discussion with another jeweler, John motioned that he'd wait for him outside the store. He'd only managed one step onto the sidewalk when he was bowled completely off his feet. Landing with a painful thud that only intensified when his attacker landed on top of him, John struggled to regain his breathing.

"Johnny?" a chipper voice asked above him.

Eyes springing open, he stared incredulously up at a familiar grinning blonde alien.

"D-doctor?" he wheezed.

Leaping up, she snatched him to his feet and took off in the opposite direction of the one he'd been heading.

"What's going on?"

"There's a Tremelite loose in your fair city and that is very very not good news for you apes," she answered, pulling him around a corner swiftly. "I've been trackin' it since this mornin', but it was maskin' its signature 'til just a few moments ago. If we can find it and get it back into its containment, you'll live to see another day!"

Bug eyed, John frantically tried to keep up with her. "What is a Tremelite and why is he trying to kill us?"

She shot him a quick look. "It's not about _you_, Johnny. Really, the Tremelite couldn't care less about humans or other life forms. However, it feeds off of UV radiation and your planet is a prime buffet. The more it feeds, the more toxic gasses it produces. Two days and it will have the atmosphere so choked all life will die."

Yelping, he pushed himself to his limits as she ran even faster. When they made it to the docks, John bent over, panting violently and looking to the woman for more information. She only grinned and began scanning a few boat houses with her sonic.

"Tremelites love the water and use the reflective surface to enhance their intake."

"Right. _How_ are we going to stop it?"

Plucking a dodecahedron from her leather jacket, she held it up for him to see. "Stasis chamber. We just have to get above it and it'll be sucked right back in."

The next ten minutes were rather outrageously _weird_ culminating with John near heaving the Doctor onto the purple ball of fuzz. Lightning fast, she shoved the latch of the dodecahedron closed with a snap. Laughing and flicking her blonde ponytail over her shoulder, she narrowed her eyes at him in amusement.

How she could wear that much makeup and still be so attractive was beyond him.

"So, fancy seein' you again, Johnny," she stated with an arched brow and amusement coloring her words.

Shuffling over to her as he tried to straighten his disheveled appearance, he gave a nervous smile. "Yes. Perhaps this time you won't just disappear without saying goodbye."

Her brown eyes widened before she snorted and motioned for him to follow her. "How long has it been for you, then?" she asked as they walked back the way they came.

"Five months."

He was startled when the blonde stopped in front of a blue police box.

"Home sweet home," she grinned.

"It's a box," he pointed out rather unnecessarily.

Inserting a key, she winked. "Care to rethink that?"

And John was struck speechless as the door opened to something he'd only theorized existed. The Doctor waved him in and almost reverently, he complied.

"Welcome to my T-40 Mark I TARDIS. That's Time And Relative Dimension(s) In Space."

"Another Dimension?" John asked excitedly as he examined the console and tried to wrap his head around the advanced technology there.

"Yep," the Doctor answered, leaning on one of the railings. "Ya know, you were pretty handy back there and with the C-Z-9 incident."

Straightening, he smiled, a pleased flush lightly dusting his cheeks. "Well, I'm used to getting out of tight spots."

Glancing away, she crossed her arms. "You could-I dunno-you could come with me."

The words were casual, but John could see the faintest hint of uncertainty in her expression. Gaping, he couldn't help his hands fluttering into a few equations.

"Me? What would you need me for?" he clasped his elbows. "You've got a trans-dimensional ship that somehow can travel in time-if I've understood you correctly-and have psychic paper when your sonic screwdriver won't work."

The Doctor shrugged and stood to walk toward him. "True, but it gets borin' runnin' by myself. Much nicer with a hand to hold."

Swallowing, John felt his face soften. There was a very familiar ache of loneliness in the Doctor's eyes, though it ran so much despairingly deeper than even he could comprehend. She was very old and very sad and in spite of the edge of darkness around her mania, he could see an unfathomable well of compassion in her. He could stay on Earth attempting to unravel the mysteries of the universe, or he could go out and be a _part_ of them. This was so much larger than anything in his life that he found himself terrified. Exhilarated.

He'd never felt alive until he reached and threaded his fingers with the Doctor's. "You're very jeopardy friendly," he stated with a slow smile.

Laughing gleefully, she squeezed his hand before launching herself at the controls. "You've no idea, Johnny-boy! Now, where and when?"

Excitement lit his green orbs. "I get to pick?"

"'S only right, your first trip and all."

Mulling that over, he grinned. "Can we go to your planet? What's it called?"

There was a brief pause in her movements and her smile dimmed ever so slightly before she recovered. "Gallifrey. Galactic coordinates 0-0-0 in the constellation Kasterborous."

John's brows furrowed as he took in her odd reaction. "So, you're Gallifreyan?"

"Nope. I'm a Time Lady."

He blinked when the ship jerked, tossing him to the ground.

"What?"

The Doctor strode to the doors. "We're here."

Confused, John scrambled up after her. "I didn't even feel the takeoff."

"That's because she dematerialized," she answered as she pushed open the door.

John's jaw dropped as he stared out into the vacuum of space. As if in a trance, he came to stand beside her at the door, taking in everything rapidly. A cloud of dust drifted by, drawing his attention to a discrepancy.

"Hold on, we're in space! So, where's Gallifrey?"

The Time Lady motioned to the debris. "That's what's left."

Horrified, John glanced at the devastation before firmly turning away from it. "Where did your people go?" he whispered roughly and immediately wished he could snatch the words back at the desolation they caused.

"Nowhere. There was a war-the Last Great Time War—" She cut off to take a breath. "Everyone lost."

"You can't go back in time and warn them?"

A bitter look twisted her face. "It doesn't work like that, John. I can't go back in my personal Timeline and even if I could, it wouldn't change anything. The War is Time Locked, meaning no one gets in and no one gets out." The doors closed with a finality that told John she would say no more on the matter.

No wonder there was such loneliness in her. Her people were dead.

"Will you," he swallowed past the thickness of his emotions, "will you tell me about them one day?"

Startled, she turned to face him. A beat later, she smiled and patted his cheek. "Maybe one day. Now then, Johnny, where do you _really_ want to go?"

"You pick," he requested. "I want to see everything!"

Delighted, she gripped a lever and spun a knob. "Well, in that case, meet my friend the 'randomizer'. I hope we don't end up on Mere again. That's a rubbish planet and I'm fairly certain there's still a bounty on me."

John didn't have a chance to respond as she threw the lever and he was jolted clear off his feet yet again.

* * *

It was well into the TARDIS' sleep cycle, but John couldn't find rest. So many things had happened to him so rapidly that he was only now beginning to process it all. The Doctor had taken him to a golden planet renowned for their architecture, only to end up helping the people there avoid being decimated by a rather large meteorite. It had been touch and go for a few grueling hours, but the Doctor had managed to cobble together something that could knock the rock sideways just enough to miss the planet. They'd faced several world-ending catastrophes after that, ironically.

They'd also met Einstein and saved the genius from a race of purple creatures intent on taking him as their spiritual leader. (The creatures meant that literally, wanting to kill him and harvest his spirit afterwards to reside in their temple.) John had gotten an autograph from the man which made up for the week he and the Doctor spent in the mud on their next trip. The Doctor just _had_ to go poking her nose into a century long dispute and they'd hidden from the less than receptive natives in the only place the flakes wouldn't go-the wet and muddy. Still, they managed to finagle peaceful negotiations eventually, but John had spent an hour in the shower after and still felt dirty.

He'd learned a lot about himself and his traveling companion in these adventures and mad life. There'd been times when he'd honestly made a difference: saved lives with his quick thinking or ability to talk down the Doctor. For the first time, he was _doing_ something-mattering to someone besides his family. And, despite his fears, he was good at it. Out here, there were far more bizarre things than he and the Doctor reveled in his intellect. She was always so pleased when he asked questions and tried to understand.

There were times, however, that John glimpsed true dark madness in her. She fiercely protected those unable to fight, but everything she'd held dear had been ripped from her. She wasn't very concerned with her life and that frightened the man. He'd been traveling with her for months now and in that period of time, he'd come to care for her a great deal. She'd become his best friend.

Sighing, he gave up on sleep and rolled out of bed. Pulling on a shirt, he went in search of the Doctor. He found her under the console, goggles on and soldering something. A few sparks ignited, causing her to yelp and mutter a few things the TARDIS wouldn't translate. With a smile, John dropped to the floor beside her legs which were jutting out from the console.

"Whatcha doin' up?" she asked, screwing something back into place.

"Couldn't sleep," he told her. His attention, however, was drawn to her unusually bare feet and the little smiley faces painted on her toenails. "Why do you have smiley faces on your toes?" the question was out before he could help it.

Grunting with the effort of whatever she was doing, it was a moment before she replied. Wiggling her toes, she stuck her foot over enough to nudge his knee while he could hear the smile in her voice.

"Because they're cute. Don't ya think my feet look happier with smileys?"

A chuckle met the question, making her huff and shimmy out from the console, frowning at him behind her goggles. Wiping her hands on a rag, she then lifted the eyewear to perch them on her head. Her face was dirty and her hair was a frazzled mess in a sloppy ponytail, but the impish light in her eyes was exquisite.

"Are you sure you should be crawling around like that at your age?" he teased her.

Grumbling, she ran the rag over her face and propped herself up next to him. "I knew tellin' you that would come back to bite me."

They sat in companionable silence for a while before the Doctor bumped his shoulder with hers. She'd done that a lot; little touches that had slowly worn down his instinctive flinch. It was nice to have that kind of non-familial affection.

"What's on your mind?" she finally broke the silence.

Sighing, he made a few gestures before stopping himself. "You walked right into the middle of that firefight today," he answered lowly. "I was terrified."

The Doctor shifted and took his hand. "I had everything under control. You don't have to worry about me, Johnny. I've gotten out of worse trouble than _that_."

Jaw clenching, he looked away. "That's just it, Doctor: you act like you're indestructible or-or that you don't even care sometimes if you _do_ make it out." Unable to help himself, he met her dark eyes again. "You're my _best friend_, Doctor, and all of this," he motioned around them, "is fantastic-brilliantly indescribable. I love this insane life, but it pales to nothing without you."

A human would have dropped her eyes at the intensity of his gaze and the raw emotion in his voice. The Doctor sat very still and studied him with a curious kind of expression that gave the impression she was seeing beyond his abilities. Abruptly, some of the darkness disappeared, counterweighed by a heartbreakingly resigned sadness.

"I forget sometimes how fiercely humans feel," she finally replied quietly, lending a new intimacy to their discussion. "Your lives are so short that you burn like super novas: vehemently and unashamed. I forgot how beautiful that is."

Something unfamiliar and exhilarating unfurled in his stomach. "Time Lords don't have the same emotions humans do?"

"Oh yeah-course we do. But, Johnny, our lives are long and our emotions are geared to last. What we feel, we feel very deeply to the end of our lives; like rapids under a frozen river. Our emotions simmer slowly rather than boil like humans'. Time Lords are greedy about what we extend emotions to and are creatures of habit 'cause of that."

Turning that over in his mind, John figured he could understand it to a certain degree. The churning of humans' emotions would be exhausting for a near immortal.

"And yet, you asked me to come with you."

Canting her head, she sighed. "I've had companions before you."

He arched a brow. "None since the War," he dared to guess.

Her lips thinned, but she nodded. "No. Why did ya come with me?"

The edges of his eyes crinkled as he smiled. "I could say it's because you called me 'Johnny' or because you have a trans-dimensional ship. It could have been because you impressed the Hell out of me or that you get my equations." Squeezing her hand, he nudged her with his elbow. "Mostly though, it was the way you shine, Doctor. I got the feeling you were even lonelier than I, but you're so full of _life._"

It was rare that he managed to truly catch her off guard. The flabbergasted expression she wore now he tucked away with his most treasured memories.

"John—"

"I know that I'll have a mayfly life compared to you," he cut her off, "but I hope that the memories we make are ones you can hold as something special without regret, Doctor."

Her eyes were unusually large with the sheen of tears that had sprung. Reaching up, she pressed a gentle kiss to his forehead. It was his turn to be shocked. She'd never done anything like that and he was left breathless at the amount of feeling in the chaste gesture.

"Get some sleep, Johnny," she whispered, then cleared her throat. "You wanted to visit your family tomorrow."

Knowing a dismissal, he gave her one last smile and left to his room. Climbing into bed, he found himself completely puzzled about when and how the Doctor managed to doodle a smiley on his sock.


	3. In Which the Family Is Shocked

John eyed the Doctor suspiciously as he released the railing and walked to the doors of the TARDIS.

"Where did you land us?"

Smirking, she shrugged, pulling her hair back and moving to join him. "You said you wanted to tell them the truth."

A sense of dread sliced through his stomach. Tentatively, he opened the door and saw his fears confirmed. She had landed them in the middle of his living room where all three members of his family huddled in stupefied fear. Casting a quick glare at her unrepentant self, he quickly rushed into the room to waylay their worry.

"John?" Rory gaped in shock. "What the Hell?"

Grinning sheepishly, John made a few motions with his hands. "You may want to take a seat. I have something to tell you."

"I'll say," Amy piped up, staring at the Doctor when the Time Lady emerged to stand beside him. "You disappear for a week and turn up with a weird blue box and a girlfriend."

Squeaking, John felt a blush coat his face as he began writing equations again. "What?! We meant to come back the day we left!"

Rory watched, disbelieving, as the pretty blonde gently took his brother's hand and _he let her_.

"Why don't you introduce us, Johnny?" she suggested.

Shaking himself, John nodded. "Right. Dad, Rory, Pond, this is my _friend_, the Doctor. Doctor this is my family: my father, Arthur; my brother, Rory; and his wife, Amelia Pond."

He ignored the ginger's indignant correction of '_Amy_'.

The Time Lady beamed at them. "Pleasure. John's told me so much about you."

"That's funny," Rory said with narrowed eyes at his brother," he hasn't mentioned anything about you. Why don't you start at the beginning, John?"

"Excellent idea!" The Doctor grinned, nudging John with her elbow. "Start at the beginning and go 'til the end. Then stop."

"That's _Alice's Adventures in Wonderland_," he pointed out to her.

She stuck out her tongue at him. "Shut up. I adored Lewis. He was actually in love with Alice's older sister, ya know. They had a bit of a falling out when he told them where he was really from. It was quite sad; poor man never really recovered."

John shifted until his body was angled toward hers. "Wait, Lewis Carrol wasn't human?"

"Nope. He crashed here from the planet Vunder and liked it so well he stayed."

"John?" Arthur asked, breaking into the bubble the two had unconsciously created. He'd never seen his son so relaxed with another person.

Brought back to the present, John smiled. "Well, nearly a year ago for me, I had a rather interesting person show up in my class…"

As he told his story, Rory exchanged looks with Amy, becoming more and more concerned about his brother. The only thing that held his tongue was the blue box behind the two. When the Doctor let the family see inside, his concern morphed from his brother's mental state to worry that John would disappear for good with this alien that could understand him.

"It's bigger on the inside!" Amy gushed, clutching at her husband.

The Doctor smirked and leaned against the console. "Is it?"

John was practically bouncing in place. "See, Dad? I told you my theories were plausible! It's like a pocket dimension—" he cut off as his hands sprang to do that odd thing they did when he was nervous or excited. Arthur had only understood about a quarter of the explanation his son had once given him.

The Doctor shook her head at the professor. "Ah, not exactly, Johnny. You forgot to account for the tachoid's effect by applying the tenth power to the square root. Toffer's theory modified by a varying integer."

Pausing, John rolled his eyes to the ceiling, his hands tracing something Rory would never comprehend. A moment later, John looked back at the alien, his whole face lit.

"Oh! That's beautiful! I didn't realize-does the quantum accelerator-"

"John," Arthur cut in, getting everyone's attention, "are you staying for supper?"

The scientist glanced at the Doctor in question. She shrugged and waved her hand dismissively.

"Go on-you don't need _permission_, Johnny."

His eyes narrowed a bit at that. "I wasn't asking for it, Doctor. I was asking if you wanted to join us."

Brown eyes blinked rapidly, looking between him and his family in surprise. "Nah, maybe next time. You go catch up."

"You won't leave, will you?" he poked her arm. "You'll be late, you know you will."

Huffing, she batted his hand away from her. "Shut up and get off my ship, you backseat driver."

Amy's brows arched when John moved in front of the Doctor and bent until he was eye to eye with her. He whispered something his family didn't catch, making the blonde throw back her head and laugh gleefully. John looked inordinately pleased and only grumbled half-heartedly when the Doctor straightened his bowtie and relented to wait. Satisfied, John turned to his relatives.

"Well, I'm famished!" he declared, clapping his hands.

* * *

Later, Rory pulled John outside to chat on the porch. The sun had set hours ago and the stars twinkled like barely kept secrets. Watching his brother out of the corner of his eyes, Rory took notice of the relaxed, contented way he sat. He couldn't remember the last time he'd seen John without a tense set to his shoulders.

"It's dangerous, isn't it?"

Leaning back, John didn't pretend to misunderstand. "Yes, sometimes. But, I was in danger here, too, with what they were forcing me to do." His jaw clenched and Rory glimpsed the rare sight of his little brother truly angry.

A lifetime of bullying and living in his own head had taught John a restraint with his temper Rory was often envious of. Once or twice, however, Rory'd seen John with a full mad on and that was plenty enough to tell him it wasn't something he wanted to witness again. John's fury was frightening in its intensity. He'd frequently thought while growing up that it would have done the kid good to unleash that fury on the wankers who would beat him. Rory couldn't always be there and John bottled things up until he was a veritable volcano.

He didn't want to think how angry he'd been at having his family threatened. John cared about very few things and those he guarded fiercely. His brother wasn't a kid anymore and his green eyes burned with righteous indignation. Seemed like the Doctor had given the guy a road map to his backbone. Rory probably didn't want to know what had become of those who'd threatened them. He'd feel his own anger later at what they'd done to his brother.

"How many have you been to?" Rory asked, nodding to the sky to change the course of his thoughts.

The ire faded from John's face as he followed his brother's gaze. "Twenty-three other planets, four moons, and twelve trips to different time periods on Earth. Oh, and one satellite." He chuckled. "I got my picture taken with Einstein."

Rory nearly choked on his beer. Wiping his mouth, he rested his arms on his knees. "You've changed, John."

"Yes," he considered, then added, "and no. What the Doctor does-she makes a _difference_, Rory. She's the last of her kind, but she's out there in her mad box, saving the universe. She's let me be a part of that. It makes me…makes me want to be _better_," he said with emotion lacing his voice.

The older man felt his jaw drop. "Woah, man, are you and she…"

Instantly, John shook his head. "No. She's a Time Lady who is as near to immortal as I understand a corporeal person can be. Humans' lives are a blink to her." He shrugged and smiled. "She's my best friend, Rory. For the first time, someone understands my frequency, you know? She's easily a hundred times smarter than I am-it took meeting an alien to find someone who can keep up with me," he joked.

And how sad was it that he was right? Shifting uncomfortably, Rory frowned. For all his intelligence, though, John was still clueless about the social aspects of life. He could drill the kid about the Doctor and how well he knew her intentions, he supposed. Of course, Time Ladies-or whatever he said she was-might go about things completely differently. The woman obviously made John happy and was his intellectual equal, which meant she could think circles around Rory. He just hoped she didn't end up hurting his brother.

"Well, she's hot," he finally settled on, surprised when the other man shot him a purely male glance before blushing brightly. Best friend, indeed.

"She is aesthetically pleasing," he replied, making Rory guffaw and slap him on the back playfully.

"Oh, man, Amy is going to have a field day with this. You know she believes in all that UFO rubbish." He had to bite back his amusement at his next sentence. "And she's been trying to hook you up for years."

Groaning, John ran a hand down his face. "Shut up. It is beyond me why she feels so bent on the matter. I'm perfectly happy single."

Whether or not Rory believed him, he let the assertion pass unchallenged. The brothers sat in companionable silence log after their drinks were finished.

* * *

Amy'd been studying the outside of the TARDIS carefully, still lost as to how the box worked. She was therefore scared out of her wits when the door slammed open and the Doctor was seen racing around the console frantically.

"John!" she bellowed. "_John_!"

The man being summoned skidded into the room, immediately joining the Doctor on the opposite side of the console. "What? What's happening?"

Mauve lights began flashing a warning as the Doctor scowled. "Sorry, Smiths," she called to them. "Got a bit of a problem with somethin' nasty." Cutting her eyes to John, she nodded at the screen. "I think she's picked up a Chronovore; which is 'universe goes bang' bad. I've got to check it out."

Face set, he waved at his gob smacked family. "Sorry. We've got to go. I'll see you later."

At which time the doors snapped closed and with one wheeze, the TARDIS disappeared.

* * *

As it happened, there _was_ a Chronovore being held prisoner by the only creatures John had ever seen the Doctor hate: Daleks. They came face to face with the Emperor itself as they were led to the observation room of the Chronovore's cell.

"The Doctor will bear witness to the rise of our empire!" one of the pepper pots intoned.

Snarling, the Time Lady ripped herself away from them, only to watch in horror as they hit the prisoner with a specialized beam of light. A moment later, it exploded, leaving a ring of angel statues.

"Doctor?" John asked, taking in her sheet-white complexion at the event.

"Oh," she moaned, pulling at her hair, "you idiots! You stupid-oh, you're thick! Do you realize what you've done?"

"We have an arrangement. We will unleash the Weeping Angels on your favorite planet. The Destroyer of Worlds-how fitting that our rise is on the destruction of your adoptive one."

The wrath on the Doctor's face had twisted it into something beyond human. John swallowed as she unleashed the full weight of her power on them, making the hair on his neck stand on end. She was beautiful and terrible all at once as she growled.

"How's Skaro these days?" She smirked nastily.

"You will be silent!"

But the blonde had maneuvered herself close to John, her frame tense and calculating. "Release us, or I show you why some call me the Bad Wolf."

The Daleks merely herded them closer to the room where the evil looking statues were. John discretely took her hand.

"What are they?"

"Weeping Angels-they feed on potential Timelines," she grated. "If the Daleks release them into the universe, you can't know how bad that would be." Abruptly, she rammed her sonic into the eyestock of the Dalek escorting them. The next moment, she'd yanked John away and they were running full tilt down a corridor to the TARDIS.

"What are we going to do?" he panted. "We can't let them eat Earth's future."

Clenching her jaw, the Doctor nodded once, decisively. "We get to the TARDIS. How did they survive?" Her grip was nearly crushing his fingers, but he said nothing.

The pain in her eyes was crippling as she ran up to her beloved ship and swung around to look at him.

"We'll stop them, Doctor," the brunette tried to comfort her.

A slow, sad smile lifted her lips. "John Smith, you are _amazing_!"

Catching him completely off guard, she acted faster than he could see. She shoved him into the TARDIS, buzzed the console with the sonic, and slammed the door behind him.

"Doctor?" he cried, spinning around to try to open the door. Panic descended on him as he heard the distinct sound of the dematerialization sequence. "_No!_ Doctor! Let me out!" screams erupted from his throat as he beat and pounded on the unyielding wood.

"I'm so sorry," he heard before they were gone.

* * *

A million thoughts rushed through his mind as he flung himself at the consoled. "Take me back! Please! She's going to get herself killed!" he begged the sentient ship.

Suddenly, a holographic projection of the Time Lady appeared in the console. "Hello, Johnny," she said. "This is Emergency Program One I created shortly after you came on board. If this is activated, we've bound trouble not even we can wiggle out of." Her features softened as she glanced down, making him sob. "I'm sorry for whatever happened. I can only hope that you're safe. The TARDIS will take you home. Don't try to pilot her after that, just look after her, will ya? She's all I have left." Lifting her eyes, she smiled. "Well, 'til you. Don't worry about me. Just –just have a fantastic life!"

Then she was gone as quickly as she'd appeared.

Complete anguish took him, collapsing him to the floor.

"No," he whispered, gripping the edge of the console above his head. "Please, old girl, take me back to her."

The TARDIS hummed sadly and the lights dimmed, letting him know she couldn't help. Hands shaking, he began drawing calculations, desperately trying to figure out a way to get back to that spaceship so far in the future. He would have stayed there until the answer magically appeared or he passed out had the knocking not continued.

Drawing a shuddering breath, he hauled himself up and slowly moved to open the door. Rory was there, alarmed when he finally saw his brother. John's eyes were red and silent tears poured down his cheeks as his hands gestured frantically in the air-searching for something.

"John?" Rory asked carefully.

The man's desolate green eyes focused on him, showing just how destroyed he was. "Rory," he croaked, "she's gone. She sent me home because she's not going to make it."

"What?"

His speech picked up rapidly, words tripping over themselves in the rush to get out. Amy and Arthur came home in time to catch most of the story. Covering her mouth, Amy inched closer to Rory.

"She-she's going to do something foolhardy and _kill_ herself," he raged, pacing and writing equations as he scrambled to work around the emptiness clawing at his insides. A universe without her suddenly felt stifling and scarier than anything he'd ever known. He _couldn't_ lose her like this. If she was going to die, he wouldn't let her do it with only hate surrounding her. She deserved more than that.

"She sent you home to protect you," Amy pointed out quietly. "She sent you back to save you."

Whirling, he glared at her, taking her aback.

"I _know_ that, Pond! Do you think that makes it _better_?"

"Hey, don't yell at her," Rory objected.

At the same instant, Arthur moved into his son's path. John halted abruptly, meeting his father's eyes with a defiant determination he'd never seen.

"I have to go back for her. She's my best friend," he told the man firmly with his full belief in the blonde woman further away than mere distance. "She saved me."

Those green orbs were lit just like his mother's had when she'd planted her feet on a matter. It would have taken more than dynamite to move her when she'd gotten like that. He'd never thought to see the look on his youngest son's face. It solidified Arthur's decision.

"You've seen her fly her ship," he pointed out gently. "Can't you pilot it?"

John's lips thinned as he shook his head. "No, part of her controls are telepathic." But, he paused in consideration and then rushed back into the console room.

Placing his hand on the controls, he inhaled shakily. "TARDIS?"

The lights flickered ever so briefly. Encouraged, John continued.

"I can't pilot you without her and she's going to die soon." He stuttered over the words, but kept going doggedly. "She needs our help," he pleaded. "I don't want you to die here, grounded like you aren't the most magnificent thing in the universe simply because I can't help you. I don't want _her_ to die because she's too stubborn and self sacrificing to accept help. I don't want either of you to die at all." Closing his eyes, he focused every ounce of his feelings towards the ship. "_Please_ help me help her."

Minutes ticked by agonizingly slow. John's shoulders slumped as he heard nothing but silence in response to his appeal. His head snapped around, however, at the grating of a panel sliding away. Gaping, he saw light swirling within as his mind realized what this was. The TARDIS had opened her heart.

"That's your heart," he whispered. "That's the Time Vortex. That'll kill me."

The ship hummed as if to say she didn't care what he did, but if he was going to do something, his window of opportunity was closing. He got the distinct impression that she shrugged her shoulders at him. Swallowing hard in understanding, John glanced back to his concerned family.

"Thank you," he told them, tears again in his eyes. "I love you, but don't hate me or the Doctor for this. Someone has to save the universe and someone has to save the Doctor when she does."

With that, the doors slammed shut. Taking a fortifying breath once more, John moved to stand in front of the open panel.

"Whatever happens, thank you, too," he told the ship.

Unable to stall any longer, he stepped into the swirling abyss of Time.


	4. In Which the Storm Approaches

**AN: **I'm so thankful for all of your support! This is actually just a really long oneshot broken into bite-size chapters, so I hope that you're still enjoying it even though I could have done some more developing. Thank you all so very much!

* * *

The Doctor was frantically rigging together a last minute effort that would see the Dalek ship and the Weeping Angels destroyed. A nearby monitor flickered to life, revealing the emperor.

"A Delta Wave will obliterate Earth as well as my army," he stated smugly. "Another planet lost to the Time War and the Doctor's rage. I name you Doctor, the Destroyer of Worlds, for at your core, you are so very gifted at it."

Locking her jaw and forcing back the tide of self loathing guilt, the Time Lady ignored him. Finally, she let out a breath and finished the alterations to the ship that would see the Dalek army wiped out. In saving the universe, however, she was sacrificing yet another planet.

"A coward or a killer," the emperor taunted as she placed her hand on the lever, "which will you be?"

The sound of the Daleks firing at the door to the room echoed off the walls as the Doctor hesitated. Suddenly, a familiar wheezing drowned out the beat of her hearts pounding in her ears. Spinning, she could only watch in shock as the TARDIS materialized. She felt her hearts stop all together as the doors flew open and out stepped John glowing like a vengeful deity. White light poured from his eyes as he looked at her.

"John?" she gasped. "What have you done?"

"I looked into the heart of the TARDIS," he answered in dual tones. "I am the Oncoming Storm. I create myself."

Terror ripped through the blonde. "No! Oh, no, Johnny. You've got to let it go," she pleaded, taking a step closer. "It'll burn you up. No one's meant to look into her heart."

A mechanical voice shredded apart the scene, demanding, "What is this? The Abomination spoken of!" The emperor fairly shrieked the last sentence, "Exterminate!"

John smiled at the softly crying blonde. "I want you safe, my Doctor. I see all that is, all that was, all that ever could be. I've scattered my name throughout Time and Space to lead myself here. And, you are worth it, Bad Wolf, my golden Rose."

Glancing to the emperor, his face hardened. "You are tiny. I take your atoms and I divide them. The Last Great Time War ends here."

Just like that, the Daleks and the Weeping Angels were dust. Wiping her eyes, the Doctor slowly approached her friend.

"Let it go, Johnny," she whispered again. "Please, it's killing you."

A pained expression flittered across his face. "I know. I see across all worlds, Doctor. This is the only universe where I am the human and you are the Time Lady," he told her as he touched his head. "In every other one where we exist, it is reversed. Somehow, we always find each other." His hand dropped to touch her face. "Those other reflections of me hurt you terribly. Only a few of our counterparts have happy endings."

Choking a sob, she raised her fingers to his temples. "Well, you'll have yours, John Smith. If it's the last thing I do, I'll see you happy."

The white light left his eyes. "Doctor?"

But, she wasn't finished, and firmly yanked the rest of the Vortex from him into herself. Just as she was retreating from his mind, a movement caught her attention. A green, churning Storm watched her from an open door.

"Leave him!" she commanded, reaching for it.

The Storm chuckled and evaded her grasp. "I _am_ him, Bad Wolf. I am here when he is ready. You cannot out run a Storm."

With that, the door was slammed closed and sealed before the Doctor was expelled from her friend's mind.

Gasping, her eyes flew open to find a deathly pale John collapsing against her. Reflexes had her catching him and heaving him over her shoulder. With one last glance around, she hurried into the TARDIS and immediately sent them into the Vortex. The ship welcomed her back delightedly, though sadness tempered the emotion as regeneration light began dancing over her skin. Gently, she laid John on the floor and scanned him with her sonic. He had no injuries, but she wasn't sure what the Vortex had done to his mind.

"John?" she called, shaking him.

Moaning, he rolled his head to the side and looked up at her.

"Doctor!" he cried, shooting up to embrace her tightly. "Don't ever, ever scare me like that again! What happened?"

With a wince, she drew back and pressed a lingering kiss to his temple. "You sang a song and they ran away." Because she couldn't bear him knowing that he'd destroyed an entire race. She'd carry that burden for the both of them, but she didn't want to lie. As another wave of pain hit, she scooted away from him, breathing hard despite her bypass system.

"There were so many things I wanted to show you," she said hoarsely, eyes focusing on his concerned face.

Fear settled over John. "What? Doctor, what's wrong? Were you hurt?"

"Time Lords have a way of cheating death. We can regenerate every cell in our bodies," she gasped out.

"You'll be a different person?!" he gaped.

Wheezing a chuckle, she shrugged. "I'll be the same where it counts, Johnny. My personality may change, but my feelings on important things won't." Gritting her teeth, she felt the process surge, unable to hold it back any longer.

She forced her eyes to his, memorizing his so cherished features. "You were fantastic, Johnny. Any you know what? So was I."

Her words faded as she erupted in golden light so bright John had to look away from it. When the light settled and he could see again, he snapped his attention back to the prone form of the Doctor. Despite her warnings, he was shocked to see the changes. Her blonde hair spilled around her, long enough now for her to sit on it and leaning more toward strawberry than yellow. Her features were mostly the same, only daintier and her brown eyes had lightened to a wolfish gold.

Blinking long, dark lashes rapidly, she ran her tongue over her teeth. "Oh, new teeth."

She paused and her brows shot toward her hair line. "New voice. Huskier with the Queen's English and a bit of a pretentious drawl. Huh."

Shuffling to her feet, she swayed and gripped the console for support. John nearly reached to steady her, but he held back, unsure of how welcome the gesture would be. She moved around to test out the new body, commenting on it as she did so. John noticed her clothes seemed too big for her now-she was quite a bit smaller, just reaching his shoulder. A hiccup escaped her and with it a golden tendril of energy.

Groaning, she raised a hand to her head. "I need tea."

"Sit down," he told her, eager to help her and _do_ something. "I'll go get it."

When he returned with the beverage, she took a large gulp and made a face. "That's revolting. What did you do to it?"

John shifted nervously. "It's how you usually drink it."

"Really?" she mused, wrinkling her nose before dutifully draining the cup and hiccupping again.

Standing, she pulled at her clothes. "Let me go change."

John was left alone in the console room, wondering what had just happened and where his friend had gone.

An hour later, the Time Lady returned to the room. Originally, she'd preferred to make her eyes up heavily and wore quite a bit of makeup. Now, she didn't seem to be wearing any at all. She'd also forgone her near combat looking outfit for something more…well, the only word that came to John's mind was 'gangster'.

She had wide cuffed black trousers paired with a crisp button up and a tailored jacket. On her hands she wore fitted white gloves and a vibrantly red tie adorned her neck. To complete the look, she had a fedora perched jauntily on her head and a pair of spats buttoned on her dress shoes.

Her long hair was braided down her back, but her grin was still wide with a familiar hint of tongue. John felt his tension ease just a bit.

"Johnny!" she said, rolling his name like a piece of candy. "Look at this."

Pulling aside her left lapel, she revealed red braces. Smirking, she reached under his coat and fingered _his_ braces.

"Couldn't help myself."

That broke his patience. Catching her hand, he drew her closer and frowned down at her. "Are you alright? The last thing I remember is looking into the TARDIS' heart."

Flinching, she scowled at him. "I'd like to not discuss that, if you please, Johnny. I'm quite cross with you."

His jaw dropped. "_Cross_ with me? _You're _cross with _me_? You tricked me into the TARDIS and sent me away so that you could go on some sort of idiotic _suicide_ mission. It's like the conversation we had last night didn't happen. Your careless disregard for your own welfare scares the Hell out of me and would have resulted in your _senseless_ death this time!"

Snatching her hand out of his grip, she straightened and composed herself. Flipping switches and pulling levers, she piloted the TARDIS in silence. Finally, the Time Lady faced him, her eyes a whirlpool of Time and antiquity. She suddenly looked every one of her years.

"No one is meant to look into the heart of the TARDIS, John. It nearly killed you. There are always heavy prices extracted for receiving a favor of Time."

A niggling worry perked up in the back of his mind. Folding his arms, he eyed her cautiously. The other Doctor would have deflected this conversation and changed the subject so thoroughly that he wouldn't remember it until days later when it was too late to do anything about it. He didn't know what to do with her actually addressing the issue. Just last night, she'd directed the conversation away from her actions and he'd just now realized she'd never given any answer to his accusations.

"How did I survive?"

"Oh," she waved him off, fiddling with the controls, "you're stronger than you think."

Mind rapidly calculating all the data (part of him reevaluating his initial thought that she wouldn't still avoid things) John puzzled on the question until a look of horror skated onto his features.

"No-you took it out of me," he corrected her with wide, appalled eyes. "You said it would kill me and Time Ladies have a way of cheating death. You took it out of me and it killed you instead."

Agony washed over him, causing his knees to buckle and send him crashing into the jump seat. He felt as though his heart would shatter.

"I came back to save you and I _killed_ you!" he rasped, pulling at his hair in an unconscious mimic of her former self. "_Why_ would you _do_ that?"

In a flash, she was kneeling in front of him, gripping his hands on his knees. Her golden eyes were large and earnest when they met his.

"Hush, that's nonsense. You didn't kill me; you really _did_ save me, Johnny. Essentially, I killed myself and had you not returned, there would have been nothing left from which I could regenerate." She squeezed his hands. "And, I saved you for the same reason you saved me: you're my best friend."

Choking a laugh, he tugged her to him and embraced her; fearing his emotions would ruin anything he tried to say. They weren't all right, but at least he knew that he hadn't lost her. That was enough for the moment.

John's family had only just turned from the spot the TARDIS had disappeared when the distinct sound filled the air and it returned. Confused, they traded looks and waited with baited breath for the door to open. When it did, a grinning John popped his head out of it. Unconsciously, they relaxed.

"How long's it been?" he asked.

"About two minutes," Amy replied. "Are you alright?"

"Perfectly, Pond. Just wanted to let you know it worked."

Rory glanced over his brother's shoulder, but couldn't see anything. "And the Doctor?"

An impish gleam sparked in the green orbs. "They want to see you, Doctor," he called behind him.

"What? Why?" A husky voice carried to them as John shifted to the side.

Arthur frowned. The small woman that appeared beside his son could have been the Doctor's sister, but she wasn't the Doctor.

"Uh, John?"

The professor leaned against the door frame, crossing his arms and smirking. "She's the Doctor. Apparently, Time Ladies can regenerate every cell in their bodies when injured badly enough."

Amy's eyes widened. "But, you were able to save her?"

A dark look flickered across his features before he nodded. The Doctor smiled politely and disappeared back into her ship. John tossed something to Rory, making him scramble to catch it. When he did, he saw that it was a phone. Confused, he arched a brow at his brother.

"The Doctor tweaked it to make it able to call me or the TARDIS anywhere or anywhen. The numbers are already stored."

His sister-in-law stared at the phone in awe. "Like a super phone?"

He smiled. "Exactly. Since I don't know when our visits will be, we can talk on that and you can make sure we don't miss anything important."

Arthur looked relieved, but then resigned. "I suppose this means you're not going back to the university."

Straightening, his youngest shook his head. "No, Dad."

With a sigh, the older man nodded. "I always knew one day you'd go somewhere I couldn't follow. I just never thought it'd be quite like this. Be careful, son."

Beaming, John waved and closed the doors. As the blue box faded from sight, Rory glanced to his father.

"He doesn't do anything by halves, does he?"

Chuckling, Arthur stuffed his hands into his pockets. "Everything I said about you and Amy eloping-I take it all back. At least you stayed on _Earth_."

Rory smirked as Amy snorted. Yeah, their little adventure seemed positively dull by comparison.


	5. In Which the Swinging Interlude Occurs

**AN: **Only two more chapters after this little interlude. I'm so pleased and flattered at how well this has been received! I hope you continue to enjoy it. -On a side note, does anyone else feel like the writing in cannon DW has really tanked? The last episode had me flabbergasted-and not in a good way. Can't we have a cool companion who is amazing and impossible _outside_ of the Doctor and his influence? Anyways, off my soap box and onto the story! (Although, I am going to mourn Matt Smith leaving.)

* * *

John quickly discovered that the Doctor was different in a variety of ways. She was more apt to take his arm than his hand now, and her smile came quicker. She didn't brood as much, but she was fond of illusions and sleight of hand-a master of misdirection. Her eyes would slide to his slyly, as if sharing an inside joke just before she revealed her hand and brought down whole dynasties. He rather felt like the plant in an audience those times; more of an equal partner.

She wasn't as reserved with her touch. In fact, personal space didn't seem to register with her. This incarnation was a showman and delighted in delighting him. They'd been to more astounding places in the last two weeks than John had ever dreamed possible. She seemed determined to take him places that would puzzle and enrapture him.

Of course, they still inevitably managed to end up running for their lives more often than not, which convinced John that whatever her face-the Doctor would always be the same where it mattered. Right at the moment, he hoped that her bag of tricks hadn't been completely depleted.

They were currently tied together, face to face, and upside down. One of John's arms was over her shoulder, the other under her arm with his wrists bound behind her back. Her arms were restrained the same way, effectively preventing their escape due to their size difference. A long rope tied their ankles, suspending them over a rather ominous looking pit. John faintly recalled threats of roasting to appease some sort of fertility god.

"Well, this is new," he muttered. "Somewhat clichéd, but still effective."

He glanced down at her, somewhat disconcerted by how small she was against him. Her personality always made her so much _bigger_.

"I hope you have a way out of this, because I've calculated our odds," he state ruefully.

"Shut up," she muttered, pulling his hair in retaliation. He knew very well her penchant for ignoring the numbers. "And don't move."

Rolling his eyes, he obediently closed his mouth just as she began to wiggle. Following her lead, he raised his arms with hers and felt his face go slack with shock when, with a grunt, she dislocated her own shoulder. Twisting, she maneuvered them until she was satisfied. The rope swung them dizzily and John wondered how she'd managed the turn with their feet tied so tightly together.

"Can you reach my pockets?" she panted, and he could feel her heartsbeat against his chest.

Taking in the new position, he softly answered an affirmative. As gently as he could, he strained to reach her jacket pocket. Breathing a sigh of relief, he felt his fingers wrap around the familiar tool. Withdrawing it, he held it so she could see.

"Setting 13," she instructed, pain lacing her words.

In a jiffy, he'd aimed the device at her wrist bonds and freed her hands. With her good hand, she returned the favor, then cradled her injured arm to her chest.

"I need you to push my shoulder back into place."

Gawking, he leaned to the side to meet her eyes. "What?" he asked incredulously.

"Johnny," she growled, "I can't climb with one arm and the blood rushing to your head will knock you out soon. We don't have any other choice."

Gritting his teeth, the man dropped his eyes. "Fine. Tell me what to do."

Guiding his hands, she placed them in the correct location under her braces and jacket.

"You'll have to use quite a bit of force due to our positions." She touched his arm fleetingly. "Don't think about hurting me."

Swallowing heavily, he nodded, knowing she would feel the gesture.

"I'd like to only sit through this once, if you please," she told him, and felt him nod again. "Do it."

Closing his eyes, John slammed his palms to the places she'd showed him, feeling the ball slip back into the socket. The Doctor bit back a scream and went very still, scaring the life out of her fellow captive. Wrapping one arm around her waist and one across her collar bones, he held her to him.

"Oh, God, Doctor-I'm sorry," he apologized hoarsely.

Groaning, she gripped the sonic and pressed it to her shoulder. One setting adjustment and she was numbing the pain.

"That'll do until I can get to the TARDIS," she told him, patting his arm in reassurance. "I'll be fine. Now, come on."

It was awkward going, with John sort of supporting the Doctor via his hands on her derriere and back while she rigged up something using their braces and the bit of rope that had tied their hands.

"When I release our ankles," she murmured, her face pale and damp with sweat, "we'll both fall. My little rope ladder thingy should hold. We'll use our momentum to swing to the other side. Ready?"

Terror clawed at him as the sound of the natives' drums carried to them. They were out of time and he didn't fancy a rematch with the burly green beasts.

"As I'll ever be."

Shooting him a smirk, she released their ankles.

Later, John would never understand how they pulled off that plan, exactly. A few moves worthy of the film industry and the kind of sheer dumb luck that often got them out of these situations landed them on the other side of the pit. He was pretty certain they should be dead with that stunt, but the Doctor's hiss of pain waylaid that thought. Scrambling to her, he helped her sit as she protectively held her right arm.

"Here," he said, yanking off his bowtie and undoing her tie.

Connecting the ends, he fashioned her a sling and helped her stand. For one wobbly moment, the world spun around them while blood rushed down into its proper channels once more. Steadying themselves, they hurried as quickly as they could through the dense forest and back to the TARDIS. Immediately, the Doctor sent them into the Vortex.

"You need that fixed properly," he told her, catching her good elbow.

His first Doctor would have snorted and sent him on his way to tend to himself, insisting she'd do it in a moment. This Doctor merely smiled tiredly and allowed him to lead her to the med bay.

She pointed out a long sticky band-type instrument. "That'll do it."

Carefully, he undid the make-shift sling and then hovered unsurely. Giving a strained laugh, the Doctor met his eyes with amusement.

"Honestly, Johnny. You had your hands on my bum for the better part of ten minutes."

Flushing deeply, he glowered at her before gently removing her jacket and helping her ease her shirt off her bruised shoulder. He was vaguely thankful that she had a white camisole under the shirt to protect at least _his_ modesty.

Following her directions, he stuck the band to her skin and watched as the pained tension faded from her face. The tightly wound coil in his belly loosened, leaving him exhausted. With a sigh, he sat in a chair to his left and watched the floor while she redressed herself.

"The band will come off in eighteen hours," she told him. "My shoulder will be fine, Johnny."

Glancing up, he smiled wanly. "I don't like it when you're hurt, Doctor; _especially_ if I'm the one to cause it."

Forgoing her jacket, she stood before him and took his hand with her uninjured one. There was nothing she could say to that. They both knew there really hadn't been another way and she'd do what was necessary to keep him safe on their mad adventures. Squeezing her hand in both of his, he rested his forehead against them.

"Maybe you should teach me Time Lady first aid. I've no idea what most of these machines and medicines do in here," he switched tactics.

Surprised, she felt her eyebrows arch. No one had ever asked for that and it took her a moment to realize she rather liked the idea. When he peered up at her, her golden eyes were full of affection.

"Splendid idea!" she tugged at him until he relented and stood, allowing her to lead him from the sterile room. "You get cleaned up and have a kip, first. I'll let my arm heal and draw up a curriculum. This is exciting," she babbled.

The corners of John's eyes crinkled as the last of his worry dulled. It was still there-would always be there for her-but her babbling went a long way toward proving her recovery. Unable to help himself, he paused sharply and caught her in a careful, but firm embrace. An abrupt breath filled her lungs before she relaxed into him, gingerly wrapping her arms around his waist.

A quiet intimacy wrapped around them comfortably. The Doctor pressed her cheek to him and wondered if he'd ever stop surprising her.

John, for his part, was bombarded by all those thoughts he was constantly burying…'Oh, dear,' he thought ruefully as he pulled back to look at her. 'Yes, well, none of _that_.'

One of her hands fluttered up to touch her temple. "My people were telepathic. Have I told you that?"

Rolling up his eyes, he tried to recall. "In passing, I believe you've implied."

A deep chasm of pain opened in her eyes. "We were all connected a bit; like sitting in a busy station. It's quiet now."

Lips thin, he nodded. "I'm sorry. Unfortunately, humans aren't equipped for that."

A mischievous twinkled sparked in her golden orbs, chasing the darkness away. "Don't sell yourself short, Johnny. Your mind is a constant whirl of activity. Ever since you looked into the heart, your mind's been stretched out of shape; like a deflated balloon. When the Vortex left you, your mind bore its mark. Now, it's trying to fill the empty spaces. With practice, you have a very high probability of developing some strong mental abilities."

At his gob smacked look, she arched a brow. "Haven't you noticed anything unusual?"

Oh, this conversation was about to fall down a rabbit hole and land on a pinochle playing squirrel.

John's grin split his face. "I _love_ traveling with you!"

To which she could only laugh.


	6. In Which the Past Returns

Several months later, John was sitting in the jump seat, debating the existence of Atlantis with the Doctor as she tinkered with something that probably didn't need fixing.

"I'm just saying that it isn't some island that up and drowned one day," John pointed out to her.

Wrinkling her nose at a device in her hand, she tossed it over her shoulder after a moment of examination. "Meant to throw that out ages ago," she muttered. "Well, it really depends on your definition of 'island' and 'drowned', doesn't it?" she countered.

"That doesn't—" he started, only to be interrupted by his phone ringing obnoxiously.

Sighing, he pulled it out. "Hello?"

The Doctor tuned out his one sided conversation and reattached the stabilizer she'd fixed.

"Doctor? Rory said there's a man claiming he's going to change what it means to be human," John informed her as he hung up with his brother.

Springing up, the strawberry blonde grinned and tossed her hat, making it flip and land on her head. "Splendid! Earth, here we come. We need to stop by the rift, anyway."

Rory explained the situation to them as soon as they arrived, showing them a clip of this 'Lazarus' character.

"Oh, that's a giant neon sign begging to be investigated, isn't it, Johnny?" the Doctor said, watching the ad again.

"The presentation is tomorrow," John stated. "If we go now, we can snoop a bit since I would think they'd have the equipment there already set up."

"Right you are," she agreed, sliding her hand into the crook of his elbow. "Thanks, kid," she told Rory, pulling John to the TARDIS.

John shrugged at his brother's questioning look about the label. Hiding his grin, he followed his friend into another adventure.

The two waited until everyone had left the building where Lazarus would be hosting his big reveal. It was after they'd snuck in that they hit a snag.

Creeping around a corner, they ran smack into someone else snooping. There was some comedic silent flailing before the Doctor used her sonic as a torch and shined it in the man's face.

"David?" she gasped.

Jerking, the man in his fifties frowned at her. She grinned and put a hand on her hip.

"Don't tell me you've forgotten me already?"

Brown eyes widened in shock as he glanced from the sonic screwdriver to her. "Doctor?"

Smirking, she nodded. "The one and only. What are _you_ doing here?"

Shoving his hands into his pockets, he rocked back on his heels and chuckled. "I'm a reporter, Doctor. I suspect I'm here for the same reason you are."

Eyes fond, she tugged John up beside her. "David McCrimmon, meet John Smith-and vice versa."

David's face had gone carefully neutral as he shook the other man's hand. "Pleasure. Where and when are you from?"

Shifting, John glanced between him and the Doctor. There was an undercurrent of tension that he didn't understand and it was making him nervous. He could look a Cyberman dead on and defy it to keep the Doctor from him, but plain old condescending humans made him regress to a fidgeting idiot.

"Earth, 2009," he answered calmly. If nothing else, he'd learned to mask his vulnerability.

The Doctor's eyes had narrowed, but she didn't address the issue. "Well, let's see what we can find, shall we?"

Quietly, they searched the building, finding a large, odd machine. The Doctor immediately set about hacking into the computer systems as John and David examined the device.

"How long did you travel with her?" John asked, deciding that the opportunity to talk to someone who understood this mad life was rare and to be taken.

David's jaw tightened before he answered. "Few years. What about you?"

"Nearly two."

"Aha!" The Doctor exclaimed. "Here we are, now. What are you doing, man-who-picks-a-clichéd-name?"

Both of her friends had fond smiles on their faces as they came to stand on either side of her.

"Hang on," John frowned. "Is that what I think it is?"

Pinching the bridge of her nose, the Doctor felt a headache coming on. "If you think the man is attempting to make himself younger by altering his DNA, then, yes. I swear-every single decade there is some fool attempting this."

Rapidly typing, she began mumbling to herself. John felt a twinge at the edge of his mind he'd begun to understand was the Doctor's psyche. She was feeling terribly aggravated, if he was interpreting the information correctly.

"What are you going to do?" David asked.

Without stopping, she answered, "I'm fixing this so that when they try to activate the programs tomorrow, they'll trigger a virus that will destroy all the data."

John was reminded of their first adventure together and smiled. "Want me to do the same to the machine?"

Glancing to him, she agreed, pulling out her sonic and handing it over. "Let's give them a show, yeah?"

Mock saluting her, he left to sabotage the device. David eyed her as she worked.

"You changed again."

"Still rude," she teased.

His lips twitched. "Yep. And you still avoid things. You never came back, Doctor. I thought you were dead."

Standing, the Time Lady met his eyes. "It's been a very long while since then, David. Your time with me ended exactly as it was meant to end-leaving you with a splendid life. You're still investigating; do you have a family?"

With a shrug, he looked away. "You're a tough act to follow." He nodded over to John. "Picked you a weird one this time."

The Doctor's face tightened. "Don't, David. Your Timeline diverged from mine as it should have." she repeated. Turning, she motioned. "Come on. I recall your fondness for chips."

John smiled as they approached, screwing a panel back in place. "That should please you, Doctor."

Grinning, she took his elbow. A pang of sadness hit David at the ease and affection in the gesture. The younger man looked at the small woman as if the sun rose and set with her. He remembered that feeling all too well and moved to walk ahead of them.

"There's a great place just around the corner," he told them.

John's eyes met the Doctor's as he whispered, "He thinks _I'm_ weird? Who wears red trainers and pinstripes?"

A poke in the ribs was her reply. "Behave."

It was going to be a long night.

The next day was a small eternity as well. The Doctor was delighted with the sparks and near fire John's rigging caused. The complete crashing of Lazarus' systems and ensuing drama made her wink at the two men.

Lazarus was promptly labeled a fraud and a nutter, which David's news report would perpetuate. Crisis averted, the three stood in front of that fabulous blue box. David shook John's hand before he left.

"Look me up whenever you're grounded."

Turning to the Doctor, he smiled regretfully. "Don't stay away so long this time."

Laughing, she shrugged and hugged him. Pulling away, she gave him a slip of paper. "This is the number to John's super phone; just in case something happens."

Tucking it into his pocket, he nodded. "Goodbye, Doctor."

"Goodbye, David."

Then, she was once more gone from his life.

John watched the Time Lady as she piloted the TARDIS.

"Will you tell me what happened?" he asked carefully.

A wan smile quirked her lips as she perched on the back of his seat. "All my companions are special, you know; whether they stay one day or years."

Golden eyes met green as she tapped the key hidden under his shirt. "I always know my companions and I always know when it's time for them to leave. Doesn't mean I like it, but there you go."

John's brows furrowed. "Can you see when they'll leave before it happens?"

She shook her head. "I could, but I don't. Time can be tricky and too much knowledge is dangerous."

"And nobody stays forever?"

"Ah, Johnny, I'm sure a few of them thought they might, but this life…it changes people. Besides, watching those closest to you wither and die-it'd break my hearts." She shrugged. "Maybe that's selfish of me, but I am very old and I suspect I have a long time left to live. There's only so much heartsache I'll bear."

Averting his eyes to the console, he sighed softly as he felt his own heart prick with an unnamed emotion.

"I'm sorry that my life is so brief, Doctor," he said, the words full of tempting things the Doctor forced herself to ignore. When he raised his so green eyes to hers again, however, she was slapped in the face with the reality of the situation.

"I'd stay with you forever, if I could," he insisted fervently.

Her hearts suddenly raced each other up her throat, making her nearly choke. She hadn't lied-all her companions were special. Every single one of them had a place in her hearts; but John-oh, her brown and green human was something else entirely. Ruffling his floppy hair, she tried to smile.

"I know, Johnny. Do you remember anything from holding the Vortex?"

Leaning back, he wondered if she was purposefully directing the conversation away from where it'd been heading.

"Bits and pieces sometimes; brief flashes of things I don't really catch. Mostly, I remember burning and you crying. Why?"

Sliding off the backrest into the seat beside him, she took his hand. His warmth reached her even through her gloves.

"For one moment, you saw everything, Johnny. Everything in every universe. Out of all the universes where we exist, this is the only one where I am the Time Lady and you are the human. In every other one, it is reversed." She squeezed his hand. "I saw it as well, when I took the Vortex from you. In every single one, we always, always meet."

Eyes pained, he shook his head. "I don't remember. Were-were we ever the same?"

Pushing her hat back, she sighed. "Very rarely and usually due to some really weird circumstances."

A strained chuckle escaped him. "Of course. That'd be too easy, wouldn't it?" Looking at their joined hands, something clicked in his mind. "David was in love with you, wasn't he?"

Wrinkling her nose, she shrugged. "Probably not as much as he thinks he was. Memories are funny things, you know. After so many years, he's taken to remembering me through rose tinted glasses."

John had to smile at that, though the word 'rose' triggered something in his mind he felt he should remember. Shaking it off, he arched a brow.

"I think you underestimate your effect on people, Doctor. Will you promise me something?"

The Time Lady eyed him suspiciously. "Johnny, the toaster still works perfectly fine…"

Rolling his eyes, he snorted. "No, I'm not asking you to stop tinkering with the appliances; although you know as well as I do that the toaster is rubbish now." Stopping himself, he pulled the conversation back on track. "I want you to promise me that if our Timelines ever come to a point where they diverge, you'll say goodbye. Don't," his eyes blazed intently into hers, "don't leave me like you left David, wondering if you're dead."

Tears stung the back of her eyes as she studied him. He'd grown so much from that scared, determined professor she'd first found. He'd developed a confidence in himself, but somehow still kept that untarnished innocence about him. She hoped he never lost that.

"I promise," she'd said before she'd realized.

A sad kind of satisfied resignation settled on his features, making her ache. She knew he wanted her to assure him that she _wouldn't_ leave him, but she'd learned early on that John didn't accept half-truths and false hopes.

So, instead, she leaned up and brushed a chaste kiss across the corner of his mouth.

"Now then, Johnny," she exclaimed as she leapt to her feet, "where and when do we want to go?"


	7. In Which Lines Are Leapt

**AN: **The last chapter. I know this has been a bit like a fun-size snickers, so thank all of you who have read and reviewed! I hope that you enjoy the finale and happy Independence Day to all of us State side!

Those of you who have gone on to read my other DW works-I love you! Please let me know how everything measures up to your expectations.

* * *

John watched as the Doctor laughed at something his dad said. It had been a hectic two weeks since that unexpected display of affection that even now had his face heating. They'd careened into adventures wildly in that time; the Doctor barely giving him a break before they were off again. He had the sneaking suspicion she was trying to distract him from what she'd done.

This last escapade had been a near thing, involving justice meting balls of light and standing stones that absorbed blood. The Ogri had been taken from their planet for nefarious purposes and John had nearly been killed by the Megara's black and white view of the situation. The Megara had been a hair's breath away from executing him before the Time Lady had shown up with Cessair, the real culprit. While she was doing some fast talking and saving the day, he could feel the fear seeping through his friend's usually impenetrable shields. She'd been far more worried than she'd let on.

The Doctor had decided to take him for a visit with his family after that. She'd been subdued; strongly reminding John of her previous self in her brooding.

"Stop staring at her like you're trying to vanish her clothes," Amy hissed in his ear.

Stifling a yelp at her abrupt appearance, John glowered at her. "_What_?"

The ginger smirked and crossed her arms. "Someone's jumpy. What were _you_ thinking about?"

Curses flew through his mind as he felt himself blush. His sister-in-law's eyes sparkled impishly at the sight. Arching a brow, she glanced across the room at the Doctor and then back to him.

"You know, John, you're more relaxed than I've ever seen you. Whatever you do out there-it's been good for you," she told him seriously, catching him off guard.

Clenching his hands against gestures, he shrugged. "Yes. The Doctor says her life has a way of changing people."

Amy waved flippantly. "I don't know about that. I think it's just brought out things that were always there. It helps having someone you don't have to slow down for, doesn't it?"

Straightening his bowtie, he nodded nervously. Amy smiled and patted his arm.

"Just don't get married in some weird alien ceremony unless you can invite us."

Sputtering, he tried to put his indignation into words as Amy cackled gleefully. The three across the room glanced to them with curiosity. Shaking her head, the Scotswoman walked to her husband as the Doctor made her way to an embarrassed John.

The family went to the kitchen, leaving the two time travelers alone in front of the TARDIS. The Doctor folded her hands together and smiled.

"You have a splendid family."

Holding his elbows, he snorted. "For the most part."

"I imagine you must miss them," she stated with such casual nonchalance that his radar immediately triggered.

Facing her, he narrowed his eyes as he tried to reason what she was doing. Her mind was locked tight, giving him no hint that way.

"Sometimes," he answered carefully. "What are you doing?" he finally just asked.

"I promised I wouldn't leave without saying goodbye," was her heartbreaking reply.

He'd thought over how this scene would go a hundred times since he first understood that one day it'd happen. He hadn't realized how _angry_ he'd be.

"Our Timelines diverged, just like that?" he gritted out.

The split second before she nodded, he knew they hadn't. She was pushing him away because she was scared of how close to death he'd come. She was leaving him before he could leave her-to death or old age. He knew her reasons. He really, honestly could see her point of view, and until that moment, would have probably let her just to make her life easier.

In _that_ moment, however, he glimpsed how devastated this would make her. She made the mistake of letting her shields slip-just slightly. Clenching his jaw, he ran every angle through his mind as fury and desperation mingled and built until he was left with only one thing.

"Look me in the eyes and tell me our Timelines have diverged," he hissed lowly, catching her attention as nothing else had.

Anguish was pooled in her dilated eyes as she drew herself up. Their gazes clashed as she tilted her chin up defiantly-at total odds to the trembling walls of her mind.

"Our Timelines have diverged."

"Liar," he accused as his emotions erupted into actions.

One hand cradled the back of her head-knocking off her hat-as the other slammed her against the TARDIS. She only had a moment of shock, then he was kissing her as if she was life itself. He didn't know what would happen after this-if she would change her mind or not-but his feelings were finally unleashed.

As his mouth slanted over hers, she buried her fingers in his hair, pulling him even closer; kissing him _back_. That sealed it for him.

Breaking away, he would have been a bit smug at her dazed expression and the little noise she made, had he not been so terrified. Resting his forehead on hers, he closed his eyes and savored the feel of her pressed against him in a non-life threatening way.

"Johnny," she whispered, a catch in her voice, but he cut her off.

"I'm not romanticizing my memories of you," he stated gruffly, opening his eyes and pulling back to look at her.

"I _see_ who you are, Doctor, and how dangerous this life is. I might have an hour or eighty years left whether I'm with you or not. However, if you're going to leave me here in some sort of misbegotten attempt to keep me safe, then you're going to listen to me first."

He cradled her face. "I _love_ you," he told her, the words tender and absolute. "You leaving won't change that. You've shown me how to be better; what it means to make a difference and _live_. But, I love you because you dismantle toasters and can't cook in either of your incarnations. I love you because you hum when you're happy and are killer at cards. I love you because you look like _home_ and always will to me."

A wet, breathy laugh escaped him as he tried to reign in his emotions. "All those universes out there, are we ever happy?"

Tears spilled down her cheeks as she sniffled and rested her hands over his heart. His left hand slid to cover them.

"Yes. A few give us happiness." One side of her mouth quirked as she met his eyes. "The ones where Time Lord you doesn't send Human me away."

His lips twitched as the corners of his eyes crinkled in affectionate amusement that was so familiar. The green Storm in his mind suddenly burst free from its door, making him gasp. The Doctor blinked in shock as the air around them shifted and a new Timeline was born. When the green Storm brushed the golden howling of her mind, John's face went slack.

"Doctor, you—" he blushed, then grinned so widely his face hurt. "You love me," he finished, unbridled joy lighting every part of him.

She realized her shields were completely obliterated, making her flush in a way she hadn't done in several lives. "Shut up," she grumbled, but squeaked when he leaned down and kissed her again.

Surrendering to the onslaught, she resigned herself to being happy and all the terror filled worry he brought to her mad life.

* * *

Meanwhile, Rory worked to pick his jaw off the ground. Amy and Arthur stood beside him, having come to see what was taking him so long in fetching the travelers.

"Damn," Amy whispered. "Did _not_ know John had it in him."

Arthur covered his mouth to hold in his laughter. "John's always found a way to get what he wants. It sometimes just takes him a while to realize he wants it."

Tilting her head to the side, Amy felt her eyes grow to the size of dinner plates.

"Did he just—"

"—And we're leaving!" Rory declared suddenly, herding his family toward the door. "My treat at that new restaurant, yeah?"

* * *

In some universes, John Smith is a Time Lord and the Doctor is a human girl known as Rose Tyler. In most, he leaves her with only golden memories and heartache in his wake. In a special few, she gives him her forever and he cherishes every day of it. In one, she is a golden vessel of Time. In another, a universe traversing woman who becomes more. The TARDIS meddles in this one or that one while she's a lost Time Lady in several others. Perhaps nanogenes change her in one, or she is changed into pure energy in another.

Yet, in _this_ universe, she is the Doctor and she loves a bowtie wearing green and brown genius who maybe-just maybe-she can keep for _her_ forever. Those other universes apparently didn't take into account Pythia-era marriage bonds.

"Are you drawing Prentiss' theory of anti-matter suspension on my hip?"

His fingers stilled.

"Maybe."

"My bedroom. Now."

Grinning, he complied.


End file.
